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Rationale for the Arts at U.Va.

“You see I am an enthusiast on the subject of the arts,” Thomas Jefferson wrote to James Madison in 1785. Founded by one of the most ardent champions of the arts in America, the University is fulfilling Jefferson’s vision for the arts. In accordance with the Virginia 2020 long-range plan, the University will create a new environment for the arts on Grounds. We will build facilities and programs that inspire students and faculty to do their best work and give students across the disciplines the opportunity to make the arts an integral part of their University experience.

To attract new faculty and address such issues as the lack of adequate space and facilities, the University has developed an overall plan for the Arts Grounds, encompassing new, expanded, and renovated structures for the fine and performing arts. With upgraded spaces, the University can become a magnet for attracting students and faculty whose creative abilities are matched by their passion for intellectual exploration and artistic innovation. The buildings will foster interdisciplinary collaboration in the arts and the use of new technology for creative work.

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Beth Turner

Elizabeth Turner, the University's first vice provost of the arts, directs the arts initiative. Ms. Turner is the former senior curator of The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. During her eighteen-year tenure at The Phillips Collection, she directed exhibits and wrote extensively on Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Jacob Lawrence, Joan Miró, Piet Mondrian, Man Ray, and Alfred Stieglitz. She serves on the advisory board for the Alexander Calder Foundation and is currently working on a biography of Calder. A native of Charlottesville, Ms. Turner completed all of her degrees (College '73, Graduate Arts & Sciences '75, '85) at the University.